NEWS ARCHIVE

Iowa woman decries bullying of her 11-year-old daughter

WEBVTT REPORTER: ELIZABETH 'RENEE' PEEKSAYS HER 11-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ISHAVING A VERY ROUGH TIME ATSCHOOL.>> SHE DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF HERSELF IMAGE.SHE'S NOT TAKING PRIDE IN HERACADEMICS.SHE'S JUST STRUGGLING OVERALL.REPORTER: THE MOM IS CONVINCEDBULLYING AT CLARINDA MIDDLESCHOOL IN IOWA IS TO BLAME.>> IT STARTED WITH VERBALHARASSMENT ON THE FOURTH DAY OFSCHOOL WAS WHEN THE FIRSTINCIDENT WAS MADE.REPORTER: I SPOKE TO THE FIFTHGRADER ON THE PHONE.>> THEY'VE BEEN BULLYING ME,PUTTING NOTES IN MY LOCKER, LIKEPUSHING ME AND SHOVING ME ANDSTUFF.>> SHE CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL ANDSAID THE GIRLS I WAS FRIENDSWITH LAST YEAR ARE JUST BEINGTORTUROUS TO ME THIS YEAR.REPORTER: AND WHEN PEEKSUSPECTED HER DAUGHTER WASTRYING TO USE PRESCRIBEDMEDICATIONS TO HARM HERSELF, SHEPUT THE CHILD IN TREATMENT>> MY HEART WAS IN MY STOMACH.REPORTER: THE PAGE COUNTY WOMANTOOK HER CONCERNS TO THEDISTRICT, FRUSTRATED AT WHAT SHEPERCEIVES IS A SLOW RESPONSE.>> I WANT THE POLICY TO BEREVISED TO WHERE IT'S A BETTERACTION PLAN.I WANT IT FOLLOWED.>> THERE'S NO DIRECT EVIDENCE TOMAKE CONNECTIONS WITH.WE'RE UNABLE TO RESOLVE IT.REPORTER: CLARINDASUPERINTENDENT DERON STENDERSAYS THE DISTRICT HASINVESTIGATED THE ALLEGATIONS,AND HAS MET WITH PEEK.HE SAYS ALSO SAYS A LOT OF THEALLEGATIONS ARE OUT OF REACH.>> A LOT OF THE BULLYING THATTAKES PLACE NOW ARE THROUGHSOCIAL MEDIA.>> BULLYING IS AN ISSUE THATWILL NEVER DISAPPEAR.REPORTER: COUNSELOR HEIDI BIRDSAYS THE CLARINDA DISTRICT HOLDSANTI-BULLYING EFFORTS EVERYMONTH.>> WE'VE TRIED TO BE PROGRESSIVEAND USE DATA TO DRIVE SOME OFOUR CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONIN THE CLASSROOM THROUGHCLASSROOM INTERVENTIONS, THROUGHSMALL GROUPS, AND INDIVIDUALCOUNSELING.REPORTER: NEXT WEEK IS 'CLARINDAKINDNESS WEEK', PLANNED LONGBEFORE PEEK'S REPORTS.THE CONCERNS HAVE STARTED ACONVERSATION WHICH THESUPERINTENDENT HOPES WILLBENEFIT THE GIRL AND OTHERCHILDREN.>> IF NOTHING, WE'VE GOT AGREATER EFFORT AND AWARENESSBECAUSE IT'S CREATED A PLATFORM,SOMETHING THAT I THINK THEDISTRICT HAS BEEN TRYING TO DOFOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.REPORTER: BUT FOR A MOTHERWORRIED ABOUT HER DAUGHTER, IT'SNOT ENOUGH.>> I JUST REALLY DON'T WANT TOGO BACK AND DEAL WITH THE GIRLSAGAIN.REPORTER: IN CLARINDA, IOWA,CHINH DOAN, KETV NEWSWATCH 7.ROB: THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYSTHERE WILL BE A SAFE PROGRAM IN

An Iowa woman worries for her daughter, fearing bullies are driving the girl into despair.

It's a concern too many parents share: Frustration that a school can't do enough to protect the welfare of a child.

Elizabeth “Renee” Peek says her 11-year-old daughter is having a very rough time at school.

“She doesn't take care of her self-image, she's not taking pride in her academics. she's just struggling overall,” said Peek.

The mom is convinced bullying at Clarinda Middle School is to blame.

“It started with verbal,” said Peek. “Harassment on the fourth day of school was when the first incident was made.”

KETV NewsWatch 7’s Chinh Doan spoke to the fifth grader on the phone.

“They've been bullying me, putting notes in my locker, like pushing me and shoving me and stuff,” said the girl.

“She came home from school and said, ‘The girls I was friends with last year are just being torturous to me this year,’” said Peek.

Peek also shared when she recently suspected her daughter was trying to use prescribed medications to harm herself, she put the child in treatment.

“My heart was in my stomach,” Peek said while crying.

The Page County woman took her concerns to the district, frustrated at what she perceives is a slow response.

“I want the policy to be revised to where it's a better action plan,” said Peek. “I want it followed.”

Clarinda Community Schools superintendent, Deron Stender, said the district has investigated the allegations and met with Peek about the claims.

“There's no direct evidence to make connections with, we're unable to resolve it,” said Stender.

Stender also said a lot of the allegations, similar to bullying trends across the country, are out of reach.

“A lot of the bullying that takes place now are through social media,” said Stender.

“Bullying is an issue that will never disappear,” said Heidi Bird, an at-risk counselor for the Clarinda district.

Bird said the district holds anti-bullying efforts every month.

“We've tried to be progressive and use data to drive some of our curriculum and instruction in the classroom through classroom interventions, through small groups and individual counseling,” said Bird.

Next week is Clarinda Kindness Week, which was planned long before Peek's reports.

The concerns have started a conversation, which the superintendent said he hopes will benefit the girl and other children.

“If nothing, we've got a greater effort and awareness because it's created a platform, something that I think the district has been trying to do for a long period of time,” said Stender.

For the mother worried about her daughter, she said it's not enough.

“I just really don't want to go back and deal with the girls again,” said the girl.

Stender said the district will meet with Peek to discuss a safe program in place for the student when she is ready to return to class.